Now that trailer #1 for the third, and final, installment of the David Gordon Green reboot of Halloween, Halloween Ends, has been released, let’s take a look back at 2021’s Halloween Kills. Kills has been a hotly debated film. Across all forms of social media, you’ll find opinions on both ends of the spectrum, but very few in the middle. Just one day in a Halloween fan group on Facebook would be all the evidence I need to prove my point. Why does Halloween Kills incite so much dislike from self-admitted fans of the franchise?
Halloween Ends (Trailer #1)
Halloween Kills contains very little in the way of comic relief. Aside from a horny teenager and a silly dad, this film is very seriously crafted. This might be surprise considering Danny McBride is one of the co-writers. You might know Danny from films such as The Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, Your Highness, or the HBO series Eastbound & Down in his role as “Kenny Fuckin’ Powers”.
It took a while, but I finally came to the end of my rope reading the negative reviews of Halloween Kills. More often than not, when I ask what specifically viewers didn’t like about the film, the replies are flimsy at best. It’s either “I just didn’t like it” or “The story was bad” or, here’s the one you all know, “I was so tired of Evil Dies Tonight!”
If you fall into this category, let me tell you why you’re wrong by responding to the most popular complaints.
There was no story, no build up
This is the one I find most understandable. Not because it’s correct, just understandable. Halloween Kills is the middle movie in a trilogy. Yes, I know the original is canon and Kills is technically the third. However, Halloween 2018, Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends will view like a trilogy by the end of it. That being said, the reason there was no slow build up, or stalking, is because all of the stalking and build up was done in 2018. Kills should be seen as the middle of a long 7-8 hour film, which is what this trilogy will be upon completion. This saga should be seen as one long film as opposed to 3 standalone films. Once Ends ends, this should be apparent.
The other escapee doesn’t look like Michael, how did they think it was him?
Who was supposed to know what Michael looked like? Besides a handful of people who were close to Michael, this is a group of people who likely aren’t paying attention to the TV. Michael has been locked away for years. When you see a report of an escaped convict on the news, do you always remember exactly what they look like? I doubt it. The mob at the hospital was driven by fear and desperation and that brings me to my next point. Evil Dies Tonight!
Evil Dies Tonight
This point is the most difficult to put into words. I won’t mince them. Evil Dies Tonight is taken directly from your, the public’s, playbook. Like it or don’t like it, I don’t care. Your tribalism, your prejudice, and your unwillingness to hear points from opposite political and social groups makes Evil Dies Tonight a reciprocal reflection of what is happening in the United States of America in this very day and age. It’s repetitive, it remains in your head to this day, and there are real life examples of why it does.
The toxic political and social justice groups of this country are represented in this film. Throw in any other tribe you can think of and it’s also Evil Dies Tonight. Why? Because of the mob mentality. No matter what level of reasoning is thrown their way, their agenda has already eaten at them so much that they’re looking for the next body to burn. The body of the escaped mental patient is the example here. The mob pushed this man to take his own life, drowning out the cries of the few who said he was not Michael Myers. If this part of the film makes you uneasy, truly ask yourself why. Is it just that these people who’ve made countless good movies in the past flubbed this one? Or because you don’t like the reflection in the mirror?
Jamie Lee Curtis’ minimal role
Again, this being the middle film, there are other story arcs that need to build. It was important to focus on Karen, Allyson, Tommy, and others in order to build toward the end. For Laurie to have a strong ending, we need to care about why she needs the strong ending. Laurie needed to take a back seat in Kills for Michael to destroy everything around her.
I’ll refer back to my point on Kills being a middle movie. In the arc of Halloween, we have a violent, tone setting beginning, a tying together of stories in Kills, and it sets the table for an immaculate Ends. My favorite head coach of all time said it best. “If you have a good entrance and a good exit, they’ll forgive you for what’s in the middle.” – Joe Gibbs
I know what some of you are thinking. I hate politics and I don’t watch horror films to get into all of that! Well, I hate to be the guy to tell you, but you’ve been watching them all along and loving it. A few examples….
The Crazies
Romero released this gem during the hottest years of the Vietnam War. Set in a small town terrorized by zombies infected by a new chemical agent in the water supply, this one is waist deep in government distrust.
The People Under the Stairs
Racist and classist division is what this 1991 film is all about and it’s pretty in-your-face if you aren’t living in a bubble. Landlords keep those around them in the lower class. Quite literally, we see people falling between the cracks.
The Howling
The cult craze of the 70s and 80s is front and center here. A traditional werewolf flick added to a bunch of Tony Robbins type self-help experts. Gotta love it.
Candyman
No, Candyman isn’t about a mean beekeeper. A racially motivated killing from years past is investigated by our heroine. However, it’s a tale of two societies in Chicago. One, a well-to-do white upper-class and the poverty stricken, urban, lower class whose afflictions go largely unnoticed. Don’t look in the mirror, whatever you do.
Rosemary’s Baby
Roman Polanski would be the one to make a film about rape culture. I guess you have to employ the experts, huh? Rosemary’s Baby was conceived by means of non-consensual sex, specifically while the wife was asleep. How did a guy as screwed up as Polanski nail it right on the head in his film? I don’t know, but men and women alike face this issue every day. But hey, keep your damn politics outta my scary movies, am I right?
What are your Thoughts?
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